Surfacing apparatus



Fel.` 20, 1934. P. .1. M. EscoLE SUHFACING APPARATUS original Filed June 1o, 1952 Patented F eb. 20, 1934 faire sursis PATENT OFFICEV 1,947,930- sUnFAoiNe APPARATUS Original application .lune 10, 1932, Serial No".- 616,560, and in Germany February 13, 1932 .I Divided and this application March 8, 1933.

Serial No. 660,066

2 Claims.

This invention rela-tes to surfacing apparatus for smoothing, grinding and polishing glass and analogous materials by the continuous method, in which the sheets of glass, plate-glass, marble or the like material to be worked to a plane surface are led by conveyors giving them uninterrupted support, beneath the smoothing, grinding and polishing tools which perform their respective operations continuously.

The present invention (which forms a division oi my pending application Serial No. 616,560, filed June lo, 1932) has for its main object to provide for the more satisfactory carrying out o the continuous method, it having been recognized as necessary for the conveyor tables supporting the sheets being worked to be coupled together with suiiicient rigidity in all directions to oppose all relative movements between them, whether such movements arise from the travel of the conveyor tables, or from the thrusts and reactions due to the smoothing, grinding and polishing tools.

As well known in the art, it is necessary to connect together the adjacent tables travelling along the guide lines or working rows of the conveyor in a glass-surfacing machine, because any movement of the tables in relation to one another, causes a displacement of the glass and even a fracture of the sheet when it is subjected to the heavy pressure of the grinding or polishing tools.

On the other hand, slight imperfections in the levelling of the slides or rollers upon which the tables travel, sufce to bring about an inequality in the upper surfaces of the tables and a rocking movement in relation to one another around their contact faces or edges. In order to obviate these disadvantages various means have been proposed which do not completely fulll the desired purpose.

The present invention enables these defects to be entirely avoided and it ensures a perfect connection between the tables of the conveyor device.

The invention is hereafter described with reierence to the accompanying drawing which represents one embodiment of my improved means to be employed for connecting the conveyor tables together during work. in the drawing,-

Figure 1 represents in elevationV the extremities of two adjacent tables coupled together in working position.

Figure 2 is a partial transverse section taken along the line A--A of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a corresponding plan view in section along the line B-B of Figure 1.

In the example of construction represented, buffer faces 21 and 22, having a pad 21a, interposed between them are provided on the two conveyor tables l and 1, in such a way as to maintain them at a suitable distance apart to ensure constancy in the pitch of the toothed racks or other driving means at the joint, during the travel oi the tables along the guide lines or working rows and beneath the grinding or polishing tools of the machine.

On each table and on each side of it, there is formed a prismatic groove r preferably of trapezoidal section as shown in Figure 2. A sh plate or connector 26 of trapezoidal cross section corresponding to that of the groove r, but oi which the back or wider base is bevelled longitudinally at its ends a, is introduced into the grooves r on each side of the table 1', being loosely held by the pin 24 passing into the side of the table 1 through an elongated hole 25 in the connector 26; the latter is locked in the bottom of the trapezoidal groove r by means of a clamp 27', the inner face of which is bevelled to engage the face a oi the connector, against which it is held by means of spring washers 28 and bolts 29. A similar clamp 27V is mounted across the groove r in the other table 1 and engaged by springwashers 28 and bolts 29. During the coming together of two conveyor tables at the entry or starting end of a guide line or working row, the connector 26, which is loosely mounted upon the newly added table l', enters the groove r in the preceding table 1 in line between the two clamps 27 and 27 so that the inclined plane c, seen at its left hand end in Figure 3, passes beneath the clamp 27, the connector being thus enabled to compress the washers 28 at both ends equally Vwhile at the same time it becomes wedged in its grooves r by the pressure of the clamps 27 and 27. By the time that the pads 21 and 22 between the tables have come into contact, the connector 26 is completely wedged in place. The force necessary to withdraw the connector from its groove r in the table 1, in order to break the connection of the tables, may reach any value which is considered advisable, having regard to the wedging action and the adjustment of the initial load upon the spring Washers 28.

The engagement and the disengagement of the connectors V26 are thus carried out with advantage in an automatic manner by the mere CTI bringing together and separation of the tables in the routine operation of the conveyor.

What I claim is:-

1. In a continuous surfacing apparatus of the character described, means for connecting adjacent conveyor tables together in close order during their movement along the guide line, said connecting means comprising sh-plates of trapezoidal section engaging in corresponding grooves upon the sides of the tables, clamps mounted upon said tables across said grooves, and means for loosely holding said sh-plates with one end engaged in one of said grooves, the ends of said fish plates being bevelled for engagement by the respective clamps at the approach of the respective tables to one another at the starting point of the guide line.

2. In a continuous surfacing apparatus o1 the character described, means for connecting adjacent conveyor tables together in close order during their movement along the guide line, said connecting means comprising sh plates of trapezoidal section engaging in corresponding grooves upon the sides of the tables, clamps mounted upon said tables perpendicularly to said grooves, a pin passing loosely through each of said fish plates and engaging in one of the respective tables, the opposite ends of said iish plates being bevelled on their outer faces for engagement by the respective clamps, and spring means holding said clamps towards the sides of the respective tables, the relative movement of the tables at the start and nish of the guide line producing automatic engagement and disengagement of the sh plates with and from said grooves under pressure of said spring means.

PAUL JOSEPH MAEHMILIEN ESCOLE. 

